


Guardian Angel

by orphan_account



Series: Angel/Mortal [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-07
Updated: 2013-08-07
Packaged: 2017-12-22 17:59:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/916311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A high-school AU, in which the teacher gets the students to play the Angel-Mortal game and Cas is Dean’s angel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guardian Angel

**Author's Note:**

> Link to the full prompt it was based on: http://destielficprompts.tumblr.com/post/51162035841
> 
> ETA: I have edited the whole work from 1st to 3rd person. If I made mistakes anywhere, feel free to tell me. And I will be writing a sequel at some point. Can't promise that it will be too soon, though.

“Alright, class!” Miss Rosen called out, drawing the class's attention to the front. She was a young, blonde teacher, filled with optimism and a love of slightly childish games. “Have you guys ever heard of the game Angel-Mortal?”  
  
A few nods, but most people (like Cas), had never heard of it. “Well, it’s kinda like a secret Santa thing,” she told them. “I have filled a hat with the names of everyone in the class, then everyone will pick out one persons name. You are the angel of that person for one week; you must be extra nice to them, maybe give them anonymous notes or gifts, all the while attempting to keep your identity a secret from them. It’ll go on for all of this week, and on Monday you’ll tell them who you are.”  
  
Some students exchanged looks, or whispered amongst each other, presumably about who they wanted to get. Cas glanced toward Gabriel, a friend he sat beside. “Who do you want to get?” Castiel asked him.  
  
“I don’t know. Anyone. Bet I know who you want to get, though,” he said, eyes drifting towards Balthazar.  
  
A while ago, Cas had admitted to Gabriel that he liked Balthazar- an attractive, blonde, British boy in their class- in a not-strictly-platonic way. Though Balthazar and he had talked quite a bit (they shared Religious Studies), he had never plucked up the courage to ask him out on a date. Of course, this would be the perfect chance to ask him out, wouldn’t it? A smile graced his face as he thought of this, hoping to God he got Balthazar’s name.  
  
One by one, students were called up to pick a name out of the class, different reactions as they picked out names; excited, bored, disappointed, worried. “Castiel,” Miss Rosen called, giving him an encouraging smile when he hesitated, eventually picking out a random name, deciding to wait until seated before reading it.  
  
After reaching his desk once again, he unfolded the paper.  
  
 _Dean Winchester_ , it said, which… Really? Out of all the names Cas could have gotten, he ended up with the infamously vexatious, popular jock, Dean Winchester?  
  
Ever since the second year of high-school, Dean had insistently acted like an absolute jerk to him; leering at him about staring at his body in the locker room (which, okay, he did stare, but only discreetly), shoving him around, disturbing him with stupid questions whenever Cas tried to study in the school library. All in all, Castiel would not be averse to hitting him in the face. Repeatedly. With a brick.  
  
Gabriel raised an eyebrow at his friend. “I assume that it’s not Balthazar,” he whispered to Cas, which earned him a harsh glare and a hiss of, “No!”  
  
He smirked, holding out a hand so Cas could give him the slip. After he gave it to him, there were a few seconds of silence before a sharp bark of laughter escaped his mouth. Miss Rosen looked disapprovingly at him, placing a finger to her lips. He stifled his joyous giggles. “You got Winchester?” he asked.  
  
More glaring on Cas's part, more giggles, muffled by a sleeved arm, on Gabriel’s side. “I’m sorry, but you have such a strong dislike toward him, I mean, it was kind of inevitable that you’d get an idiot like him instead of that pretty boy of yours,” Gabe told him, grinning. Whilst Cas was quite sure what he had said didn’t really make sense, he understood; with luck as atrocious as his own, there was bound to be just one more thing to make his life suck a little more.  
  
“Yeah, well, maybe you’ll get someone worse,” Cas huffed angrily, even though, who was he kidding? No one else could compare to his well-practiced, better-than-thou drivel. The look he received after saying that showed Gabe knew as much.  
  
“Gabriel,” Miss Rosen called, waving the hat full of names towards him. Cas didn’t pay attention as he went to choose a name, instead brooding about his own misfortune.  
  
He did, however, direct his focus to Gabriel when his expression became something half way between apologetic and giddy. Apparently going for apologetic, Gabe pouted at him, showing him his slip. _Balthazar Roché_ , it read.  
  
Of fucking course he got Balthazar, because his luck was just horrendous enough for all of this to happen. Cas really wanted to shove a pencil through his own eye right then.  
  
***  
  
As much as he originally objected to the idea of being nice to Dean, he eventually (mainly because of his sister, Anna, telling him not to ‘sink to his level’) decided to go along with it.  
  
The first day, he actually answered his stupid Goddamn questions in the library.  
  
He had been studying for less than half an hour when Dean found him, head buried in _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ , which they were studying for English. Looking Cas up and down, Dean sat on the edge of the table and asked him, “Hey, why’d you always wear that trench coat?”  
  
Placing his book faced-down on the table so he wouldn’t lose the page, Cas looked up at him. He had been told many times before by Gabriel that it was unnerving when he stared so intensely at people, but it only seemed to make Dean smile brightly, showing some of his teeth now. “I have grown a sentimental attachment to it,” he replied, not knowing what else to say.  
  
This pulled a quiet chuckle from Dean, though he didn’t quite know why. Nothing new there, really. Lightly tugging at the lapels, he told Cas, “It looks good on you,” which, what? Dean complimented him. On his old, worn trench coat, which almost everyone disliked. Cas blinked very slowly, staring up questioningly into his eyes.  
  
Dean just grinned and walked off, leaving him confused and unfocused when he attempted to return to the play he had been reading.  
  
In the hour he spent in the library after Dean left, he read half a page.  
  
***  
When he next saw Dean, it was the next day in Physics. As much as he hated it, the two of them had ended up having to sit next to one another during that one lesson. So far that year, they hadn’t had any group projects- it was only a month or so into the year, after all- but, of course, they got one that day.  
  
Mr Singer explained the project, and that they’d have to work in pairs. “To stop any arguments, you’ll just have to work with whoever the hell you’re sittin’ next to,” he told them. Cas made eye contact with Gabriel, who sat on the desk to Cas's left, next to Chuck, and grimaced. In return, he beamed brightly; beside him, Cas could see Chuck covering up a smile with his sleeve. How reassuring it was to see that his friends were so sympathetic about his pain.  
  
He turned towards Dean, met by a cocky smirk. “Guess we’ll be partners, eh?” he said. Cas sighed inaudibly, nodding with a faux, overly-happy smile.  
  
“Sounds like it’ll be a bundle of fun and laughs,” he commented, making Dean chuckle lightly. He pretended it didn’t shock him; never before had Cas heard him laugh, and when he did… Well, it almost made him seem like someone who was friendly and approachable. Biting his lower lip, Cas mentally shook himself.  
  
“It won’t take long, at least. I’m kinda good at Physics,” Dean shrugged. True, he did always get significantly better marks than Cas on tests. Not that Cas had been paying attention, or anything.  
  
“Um, so, if we’re doing this together, where’d you wanna meet up?” Cas asked him, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably. Dean had seemed almost… nice lately, and Cas didn’t know what to do with that.  
  
“If you wanted, you could come to my house to do it?” Dean suggested, not meeting his eyes and lifting one shoulder to play it off as casual.  
  
Without knowing why, Cas smiled. “Sure,” he agreed. “I’m free quite often, so just tell me when.”  
  
Dean scribbled down something on a ripped out notebook page and pressed it into Cas's open palm. “Straight after school tomorrow would be good,” he said, a tone of uncertainty in his voice. “My family will be home, but they won’t bother us.”  
  
“That’s fine,” Cas said, reading the paper had been given; it had Dean's number on, presumably so he could call if they ever needed to talk about the assignment.  
  
“I’ll meet you by your locker, then,” he smiled at Cas, picking up his bag and leaving as the bell went.  
  
Gabriel, who had probably been listening to the entire conversation, gave Cas a look that obviously meant ‘I know something you don’t’ and raised an eyebrow at his friend. “What?” Cas huffed irritably.  
  
Chuck and Gabe smirked at one another. “Nothing,” he finally replied, though it definitely wasn’t ‘nothing’. Cas opted to ignore them, instead marching to next period.  
  
***  
  
The next day, as he stood beside his locker, waiting for Dean, he heard a call of, “Cassie, darling!” from behind him. Balthazar walked up to me and slung an arm over his shoulder. It wasn’t unusual for him to get overly intimate with people, but it was for him to be so close with Cas. “The cinema is showing this delightful silent film tonight, and I hear you’re into that sort of thing.”  
  
When he paused briefly for confirmation, Cas nodded, leaning into his arm slightly.  
  
“Well then, would you like to see it tonight with me?” he asked.  
  
Oh, what an understatement it would be to simply say ‘yes’. Cas opened his mouth to say as much, though perhaps not quite word-for-word, when Dean arrived.  
  
“Hey Cas,” he greeted cheerily, though he glared at Balthazar. “You still up for tonight? The thing for Physics.”  
  
He deflated slightly. It just his luck that the one time Balthazar actually asked him on what could well be a date, he would already have commitments. “Oh, yeah. That,” he said, before directing his attention onto Balthazar. “Sorry, can’t go. Maybe some over time?” he suggested, trying to mask his hopefulness.  
  
“Yeah, maybe,” Balthazar answered, sounding unconvincing. Cas bit his lip, pretending not to be disappointed, and was about to say some form of goodbye when Balthazar flounced off haughtily.  
  
Dean huffed, muttering something that sounded a lot like, “I hate that pompous dick,” and then smiled at Cas, saying, “C’mon, I’ll drive you to my place.”  
  
***  
  
It was a twenty minute drive to the Winchester home, which was a pale blue, two-story town house. The lawn was neatly mown, surrounded by roses and marigolds, making it look altogether pleasant and inviting.  
  
When the two boys got inside, Mrs Winchester greeted them with a warm smile. “Oh, Dean didn’t tell me we would have guests,” she said, casting a disapproving glance at him before continuing. “Well, it doesn’t matter. Will you be staying for dinner?”  
  
Before Cas was able to politely decline, Dean spoke for him. “Yeah. Yeah, he will,” he told her, tilting his head slightly at Cas as though to ask if it was okay. Whilst surprised that the person who had spent so long taunting and teasing him had just suddenly decided that apparently he liked him now, he just shrugged and smiled ever-so-slightly.  
  
Though confused and slightly wary about this abrupt change of opinion, he couldn’t help but find himself liking him. Maybe he could discuss this with Gabriel; he knew Gabe would probably laugh at him and make jokes about him having ‘boy troubles’, however that was only to be expected when it came to Gabriel. He didn’t know what to think, and any discussion of it would surely be helpful.  
  
Dean led Cas into his bedroom; it was a decent size, yet he had still managed to clutter it with books, cassette tapes and homework. Dirty clothes had been kicked into the corner, and Dean blushed furiously as he threw them into an empty draw. On the ceiling, there were posters plastered all over, leaving no gaps. Cas's brow furrowed when he saw a _Dr Sexy, MD_ poster. He really didn’t seem like the type to watch it. Having noticed where Cas was staring, Dean muttered, “It’s- it’s a great show, shut up.”  
  
“No, no, I’m not judging you,” Cas told him. “I’m sure it is a… very intellectual show. Quality entertainment.” Rolling his eyes, Dean punched his arm as though they were old friends. It was surprisingly easy to casually talk to him, and Cas found himself feeling comfortable around Dean.  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” Dean muttered, not unkindly. “Let’s get on with the project.”  
  
***  
  
It wasn’t until Mrs Winchester- “Please, do call me Mary,”- called them both down for dinner that Cas realised they had spent three hours half-heartedly doing the assignment and chatting. He felt rather nervous about having dinner with the Winchesters, if he was honest. Obviously, he wasn’t the most social of people, and he didn’t want to make himself sound like a twat in front of Dean's family. He swallowed weakly.  
  
They sat down in the vacant chairs that remained. Dean’s father, John, sat at the end, whilst everyone else filled up the sides. When the food was served, no one said grace, instead digging in straight away and beginning to ask Cas questions. “So, Castiel, you go to Dean’s school?” Mary asked him.  
  
“Yes, I’m in the same grade as him, and we share several classes. We sit next to each other in Physics,” he told her, trying to be as polite as possible. Questions made him feel uncomfortable.  
  
Dean’s younger brother, Sam, looked up at Dean, smirking slyly. “Oh, so this is Castiel?” he asked.  
  
Cas was unable to verify this, as Dean butted in with, “Yeah, he is.” From the way he glared at Sam, Cas could tell he was somehow out of the loop. He resolved that he would ask about it later.  
  
Half an hour and many, many questions later, dinner was over. Cas managed to relax somewhat, and checked the clock on hid phone surreptitiously. 19:04. He gave an apologetic smile to Dean. “I’ve got to go home now,” Cas told him. His mother knew he was at a friend’s house, since he had told her yesterday, but she probably didn’t expect Cas to stay over for quite so long.  
  
“Oh! Would you like me to drive you back?” he enquired, swinging his car keys around and index finger.  
  
“If that wouldn’t be too much trouble, yeah.” Cas followed him back to his black Chevy Impala, the one they had went there in, and directed Dean to his house. Whilst the drive wasn’t eventful, the uncharacteristically shy smile Dean gave Cas after they reached his house kept Cas distracted all night.  
  
***  
  
Much to the astonishment of Castiel, Balthazar asked him on a maybe-date again the next day, to a later showing of the film he had mentioned the other day. Cas, of course, complied. When he told Gabe and Chuck, they just sighed exasperatedly. “Really?” Chuck asked. “I mean, I thought…” he trailed off, and refused to complete the sentence when Cas asked him. He tried to discuss it with Gabe, too, but only received a unimpressed look, and an exasperated, "you're an idiot."  
  
During the break between fourth and fifth period, Balthazar sashayed up to Cas and asked for his address before saying he’d pick Cas up at seven. For some reason, this irritated Cas; he was competent, he could drive himself. Balthazar seemed oblivious to Cas's prickling annoyance, flashing him a smile which just seemed to scream ‘I’m the centre of my own world’. Cas was shocked by how much he wanted to punch Balthazar's smug face.  
  
***  
  
Just as promised, Balthazar pulled up at the front of Castiel's house in a flashy black car at seven on the dot. When Cas came to the door, Balthazar gave him another one of those vainglorious smiles, the type that used to make Cas blush and avert his gaze to the floor. Now, Cas plastered on a fake smile, and acted flattered by the unwanted compliments directed at him.  
  
On the drive over to the cinema, Balthazar told Cas about the film they would be seeing; Cas had to give it to him, the guy had a good taste in filmography. It was called _The Artist_ , set between 1927 and 1932, about a silent film star and an up-and-coming actress, their relationship as the popularity of silent films lowered when audio was able to be added to film.  
  
Cas very much enjoyed it, even if Balthazar did place his hand on Cas's knee, making him flinch minutely.  
  
Just before he dropped Cas off at his house, Balthazar grabbed Castiel's hand, massaging his thumb into his knuckle, and said, “Maybe we could do that again sometime.”  
  
It didn’t really sound like a suggestion; that would imply that he thought a ‘no’ was a possibility, which he evidently did not. “Uh, maybe,” Cas muttered awkwardly, retracting his hand and dashing inside.  
  
How did he ever swoon over that narcissistic, egomaniacal, imbecile? How did he ever delude himself into feeling anything other than an intense distaste for his vain, haughty nature?  
  
Cas opened up his contacts list, and was about to call Gabriel until he remembered the slip of paper Dean had given him. It was probably still in the pocket of the jeans he had worn yesterday. After retrieving it, Cas stared at it for a few seconds before squinting at the numbers, copying them out into his phone. Cas pressed the green ‘call’ button.  
  
It was four rings before a familiar voice asked, “Hello?”  
  
“Uh, hello Dean. It’s Cas,” he replied, hesitant.  
  
“Oh! Hey Cas.” He sounded surprised, as though he hadn’t actually expected Cas to call him. Maybe he hadn’t, maybe Cas shouldn’t have called. Too late now. “Something up?”  
  
“Uh. I don’t know,” Cas said honestly. “I guess I went on a date with Balthazar, and he is an over-glorified dunce?”  
  
Dean snorted, amused. “Yeah, go figure. I don’t get why you’d ever wanna date the dude,” he told him.  
  
Cas shrugged, as much at a loss for a reason as Dean was. It took a couple seconds before he realised that, oh, Dean couldn't see him. Slightly belatedly, he murmured, “I don’t even know anymore. I’m really confused.”  
  
“So am I,” Dean replied quietly.  
  
Neither of them said anything for around half a minute. The silence it caused wasn’t uncomfortable or unwanted. Cas was unable to just say nothing when he was with Gabe; Gabe was always loud, boisterous, needed noise and movement to keep him going. It pleased Cas that Dean and he were different.  
  
Breaking the silence, Dean said, “You should go on a date with me.”  
  
Cas's breath hitched with bewilderment. “But for the past however many years, you kept shoving me and taunting me and…” he didn’t finish, just let it hang to emphasise his confusion.  
  
On the other line, Cas heard Dean chuckle awkwardly. “You know in first school, when if you liked a girl you would pull their pigtails and push them over?” Dean muttered, embarrassed. Cas could imagine how red his face would be at this confession. “Well, I guess that’s me… pulling your pigtails…”  
  
This time, the silence stretched on, excruciatingly long, only their shallow, nervous breaths breaking it. “You’re an idiot.” Cas heard him let out a long exhale. “And I’m stupid for saying yes.”  
  
Dean laughed, relieved. “How d’you think your friends will react?” Dean asked.  
  
“I think they expected this to happen,” Cas told him, remembering their reaction to him revealing to them that he would finally be going on a date with Balthazar. “What about yours?”  
  
“They already know, too,” he replied. “Oh, I wanna see their faces when they realise that my pathetic attempt at flirting worked!”  
  
Cas snorted a quiet laugh. “Yeah, yeah. Well done,” he congratulated, deciding not to point out that it wasn’t really his so-called ‘flirting’ that made it end up this way. “Got to go, see you on Monday.”  
  
“Bye.”  
  
Cas hung up, dopey smile stuck on his face.


End file.
